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[quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous]How expensive is to install a home charger? Do you need to hire an electrician? What mpg do you effectively get if you charge at home?[/quote]

The cost of a home charger install can range from $1,000 to $5,000 or more. The charger itself is about $500 for a decent one, give or take a few bucks. The install is very dependent on how far electrical cable must be run and how complex it is to run the cable. There are two ways to go. The electrical circuit itself is 240v. You can run that to an electrical outlet such as a NEMA 14-50 and simply plug your charger in to that. I think it is better to hardwire the EVSE (what a charger is technically called). Hardwiring allows you to run it at a higher rate of amps which means faster charging. Technically, you can install it yourself but you need a permit and likely an inspection afterwards. You really need to have some idea what you are doing, however, because  these draw a lot of current which creates heat and you can easily have a fire if things are not installed correctly.

There might be incentives for which you are eligible. The federal government has a 30% rebate for up to $1,500 for many census tracts (unfortunately not mine though). DC has a $1,000 rebate. Some electrical providers, though not PEPCO, offer free or discounted EVSEs. So check for possible incentives.

The MGP is the same regardless of how you charge and is dependent on the car and other factors (such as how fast you drive, the terrain, etc.). Home charging uses AC electricity and is fairly slow, taking several hours to reach 80% or higher of a charge. It works well if you can charge overnight. Fast charging uses DC and can get the same amount of charging in about a half hour. Driving range is the same in either case.

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